The 182nd (2/1st Warwickshire) Brigade was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. B ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

that saw active service in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

with the

61st (2nd South Midland) Division The 61st (2nd South Midland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army raised in 1915 during the Great War as a second-line reserve for the first-line battalions of the 48th (South Midland) Division. The division was sent to the We ...

. It remained in the United Kingdom throughout the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, serving with the 61st Infantry Division.

First World War

The brigade was formed as a duplicate of the 143rd (1/1st Warwickshire) Brigade and consisted of those men in the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry ...

who did not wish to serve overseas. The brigade was assigned to the

. With the division, the brigade served on the Western Front from May 1916 onwards.

Order of battle

* 2/5th Battalion,

Royal Warwickshire Regiment The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, previously titled the 6th Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. The regiment saw service in many conflicts and wars, including the Second Boer War ...

''(disbanded February 1918)'' * 2/6th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment * 2/7th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment * 2/8th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment ''(disbanded February 1918)'' * 182nd Machine Gun Company,

Machine Gun Corps The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front in the First World War. The Heavy Branch of the MGC was the first to use tanks ...

''(formed 19 June 1916, moved to 61st Battalion, Machine Gun Corps 1 March 1918)'' * 182nd Trench Mortar Battery ''(formed 13 June 1916)'' * 2/8th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment ''(from February 1918)''

Second World War

The brigade was disbanded after the war in 1919. It was, however, reformed again in 1939 in the Territorial Army, now as the 182nd Infantry Brigade, prior to the outbreak of the

when war with

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

was becoming increasingly obvious. It was assigned to the 61st Infantry Division. However, the brigade never saw active service overseas and remained in the United Kingdom throughout the war.

Order of battle

182nd Infantry Brigade was constituted as follows during the war: * 2/7th Battalion,

* 9th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment ''(disbanded 25 July 1944)'' * 9th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment * 182nd Infantry Brigade Anti-Tank Company ''(formed 2 September 1940, disbanded 6 October 1941)'' * 1st Battalion,

South Wales Borderers The South Wales Borderers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for 280 years. It came into existence in England in 1689, as Sir Edward Dering's Regiment of Foot, and afterwards had a variety of names and headquarters. I ...

''(from 2 September 1944)''

Commanders

The following officers commanded 182nd Infantry Brigade during the war:Joslen, p. 357. *

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

R.J. Cash ''(until 15 February 1940)'' * Brigadier E.S.B. Williams ''(from 15 February 1940 until 31 July 1941)'' * Brigadier C.E. Hudson ''(from 31 July 1941 until 27 November 1943)'' * Brigadier J.S. Nichols ''(from 27 November 1943 until 28 March 1945)'' * Brigadier T.B.L. Churchill ''(from 28 March 1945)''

References

Bibliography

* Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War I Infantry brigades of the British Army in World War II Military units and formations established in 1914 Military units and formations established in 1939 {{UK-mil-unit-stub